Seat section of a sofa-bed frame



Oct. 24, 1961 POKORNY, JR 3,005,210

SEAT SECTION OF A SOFA-BED FRAME Filed Feb. 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. LOUlS POKORNY, JR.

Oct. 24, 1961 L. POKORNY, JR 3,005,210

SEAT SECTION OF A SOFA-BED FRAME Filed Feb. 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,005,210 SEAT SECTION OF A SOFA-BED FRAME Louis Pokorny, Jr., Arlington Place, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., assignor of one-third to Louis Pokorny, Ronkoukoma, N.Y., and one-third to John M. Pokorny, Bellport,

' Filed Feb. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 9,950

Claims. or. -13

This invention relates to sofa-beds, and more particularly to an improved construction for the seat section of a sofa-bed frame.

Sofa-beds of the type to which the present invention relates include a foldable frame and a mattress coextensive and foldable with the frame. Extending across the width of the frame is a bed spring which is anchored at regular intervals to the side rails of the frame. The mattress and frame may, by means of associated linkages and mechanism, be fully extended to form a bed or fully folded to form a sofa. In the latter condition, a portion of the frame and mattress form the seat section of the sofa.

The sofa-bed frame, including the seat section, is preferably a little shorter than the distance between the arms of the sofa so as to provide a space between the frame and each arm for accommodating the associated linkages and mechanism mentioned above. As a result, the two side rails of the seat section are spaced inwardly from the sofa arms, and even though the usual removable seat cushion is placed on top of the seat section when the frame is in fully-folded condition, the unyielding nature of the side rails beneath the seat cushion makes the seat uncomfortable in the regions near the sofa arms.

In an attempt to overcome this difliculty, it has recently been the practice of sofa-bed frame manufacturers to provide each of the seat section side rails with a depression intermediate its ends, or more correctly, with an offset region which forms a depression when the frame is fully folded, and an elevation when the frame is opened to define a bed. Use of this type of side rail, although measurably improving seat comfort, has not proven completely satisfactory in producing a comfortable seat. In addition, it has ofiered a new problem, namely: when the frame and mattress are in extended condition, the offset region of each side rail, together with the portion of the bed spring anchored thereto, produce a bump in the mattress, thus to some extent, destroying the comfort of the bed. Hence, comfort in the seat has been promoted at the expense of comfort in the bed.

It is the object of the present invention to alleviate these problems, and toward this end unusual structural changes have been made in the seat section of a sofa-bed frame of the type described. In accordance with the in vention, a side rail having the now conventional offset region is narrowed in the offset region, and in addition, the anchorage of the bed spring to each side rail is changed so that no portion of the spring is anchored in the offset and narrowed region. In this way, the bed spring elements are caused to diverge as they approach the offset region of each side rail. As a result, an area of the mattress below the seat section of the frame, corresponding in shape to the space or interval defined by the diverging bed spring elements, is permitted to bulge upwardly, adjacent the oifset region of each side rail. Consequently, the upwardly bulging areas of the mattress serve to support the seat cushions, thus eliminating the discomfort formerly caused by the side rails.

Another feature of this invention is the elimination of the hump produced in the mattress by the offset regions of the side rails when the frame is in fully extended condition. This is accomplished by virtue of narrowing the offset region of the rail, and no longer anchoring the bed tates Patent 0 3,005,210 Patented Oct. 24, 1961 spring to the side rails in the offset regions, whereby the mattress is not only permitted to bulge upwardly when in fully folded condition, but is also permitted to remain level when in fully unfolded condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining the alignment of the mattress with respect to the frame throughout the folding and unfolding of the two. This is achieved by furnishing each of the side rails with a lip, these lips serving to guide the mattress between them at all times.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing, in full lines, a sofa-bed frame in fully-folded condition, and in dotdash lines a mattress, sofa, and seat cushion, associated with the frame;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of the seat section of a sofa-bed frame constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the seat section of'the sofabed frame; v

FIGS. 4 and 5 are partial perspective views on a still larger scale of a seat section side rail made in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5. 1

Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIG. 1, a sofa-bed frame indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 is shown in fully folded condition. The frame is located within a sofa body which includes the usual upholstered back 11, sides 12, removable seat cushions 13, legs 14, and a fixed frontboard 17. The sofa frame 10 comprises a rear vertical section 18, a lower horizontal section 19, a front vertical section 20, and a seat section 21. When the sofa bed frame 10 is in fully folded condition, the seat section 21 is disposed above, and parallel to, the lowerhorizontal section 19 and between the frontboard 17 and the upholstered back 11 of the sofa body. When the sofa-bed frame is unfolded, the seat section 21 forms the foot region of the bed. Also shown in FIG. 1 and indicated generally by the reference numeral 15 is the mechanism associated with the sofabed frame, by means of which the latter may be folded and unfolded.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one side of the seat section 21 of the sofa-bed frame. The seat section comprises generally a pair of spaced side rails 24 (only one being shown in FIG. 2), a cross-bar 25 for holding the side rails together as a unit, and a bed spring 26. Each side rail 24 is preferably formed of a member having an angular cross-section, thereby giving the side rail a horizontal arm 27 and a vertical arm 28 (which may be seen clearly in FIGS. 3-6). At the end opposite the crossbar 25 the vertical arm of each side rail is pivotally mounted on the front vertical section 20. The front vertical section also supports ajfrontboard 31 by means of a bracket 32. When the sofa-bed frame 10 is in the position shown in FIG. 1, the board 31 is directly above the board 17, and both boards may or may not be upholstered depending upon the style of the sofa.

The bed spring 26, which may be of any usual type, extends between the spaced side rails 24. The type of bed spring chosen for illustration is that having a series of flexible elements 33 fastened to the side rails by means of short coil springs 34. Normally, each side rail is provided with a series of holes 35 for accommodating the hook-shaped ends 36 of the coil springs 34. A mattress 38 is provided which is coextensive and foldable with the sofa-bed frame 10 and which is supported by the bed spring 26 when the frame 10 is fully unfolded. As mar be seen clearly in FIG. 2, the mattress 38 is not as wide as the distance between the vertical arms 28 of side rails 24. This is so in order to provide room for expansion of the mattress when it is in use.

As mentioned before, and as 'may be seen clearly in FIG. 1, each side rail 24 is provided with an offset region 39, which forms a depression in the rail 24 when the sofa-bed frame 10 is in fully-folded condition. The side rail may be thought of, therefore, as comprising an offset region -39 intermediate a pair of normal regions 41. According to previous constructions, the coil springs 34 of the bed spring .26 were anchored at regular intervals along the length of the side rail 24. In accordance with the present invention, the coils 34a which would normally be anchored in the offset region 39 are separated and anchored instead at either side of that region, thus causing the bed spring elements 33 connected thereto to diverge. These elements together with the side rail 24 define a triangular area (see FIGS. 2 and 3) in which the mattress is unconfined by the bed spring. In addition, in order to avoid interference between the coils 34a and the coils 34 normally anchored adjacent each end of the offset region, the latter coils are moved away from the offset region a short distance from their conventional locations of anchorage. This effects a reduction in the interval between the two coils adjacent each of the coils 34a with the result that the intervals between the coils 34 and 34a on each side of the region 39 are progressively shorter in the direction of that region. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the offset region 39 is reduced in width so as not to overlie the edge of the mattress 38 as the normal or non-offset regions of the side rail do.

As a consequence of changing the anchorage positions of the coils 34 and narrowing the rail 24 in the offset region, the mattress 38 is permitted, adjacent the side rail in the offset region, to bulge upwardly above the upper surface of the horizontal arm 27 of :the side rail 24 when the sofa-bed frame 10* is in fully folded condition. The upwardly bulging somewhat triangular portion of the mattress, therefore, serves to support the seat cushion 13 in the area adjacent the side rail 24, resulting in a more comfortable seat than has heretofore been offered.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are detailed views of the improved side rail 24. FIG. 5 indicates the position assumed by the side rail when the frame 10 is in fully folded condition, and FIG. 4 indicates the position assumed by the side rail when the frame 10 is in fully unfolded condition. It will be noticed that in this preferred embodiment of the side rail, in order to reduce the width of the rail in the offset region 39, the edge of the horizontal arm 27 opposite to the vertical arm 28 is bent perpendicular to the arm 27. This downwardly bent portion forms a lip 41) which is parallel to the vertical arm 28. The lips 40'of the spaced side rails 24 of the seat section 21 are disposed at a distance equal to the width of the mattress 38. As a result, the lips serve to guide the mattress and maintain its alignment with respect to the sofa-bed frame 10, throughout the folding and unfolding of the latter. It may now also be seen that since the side rails 24 do not support the mattress in the offset region, and since the bed spring is not anchored to the side rails in the offset region, no hump is created in the mattress when the frame '10 is fully unfolded into a bed. The seat section 21 of a sofa-bed frame constructed according to the present invention, therefore, provides both a more comfortable sofa and a more comfortable bed.

It will be understood that many of the details herein described and illustrated are susceptible of modification without necessarily involving a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sofa-bed, a foldable frame and a mattress c0- extensive and foldable with said frame, said frame including a section defining the sofa seat when the frame is in fully folded condition and defining the foot region of the bed when the frame is in fully unfolded condition, the foot region of said mattress being disposed beneath said frame section when the frame is in fully folded condition, said frame section comprising spaced parallel side rails and a bed spring extending between them, each of said rails having a depressed and narrowed region inter mediate its ends, said bed spring including coil springs attached to said rail at intervals along the length of the latter, one of said intervals coinciding with the depressed and narrowed region of said rail whereby when said frame is in fully folded condition the area of said mattress adjacent the depressed and narrowed region of said rail is permitted to bulge upwardly above the level of said region.

2. A sofa-bed construction according to claim 1 wherein the intervals between said coils attached to said rail on each side of the depressed and narrowed region thereof are progressively shorter in the direction of said region.

3. A sofa bed construction according to claim 2 wherein the axes of the two of said coils located directly adjacent said depressed and narrow region of said rail form opposed acute angles with respect to the axis of said rail thereby giving the upwardly bulging area of said mattress a somewhat triangular shape.

4. A sofa-bed construction according to claim 1 Wherein each of said rails has a lip extending transversely there to, said lips being spaced apart a distance equal to the width of said mattress so as to guide said mattress between them and thereby maintain the alignment of said mattress with respect to said frame throughout the folding and unfolding of the latter.

5. A sofa-bed construction according to claim 4 wherein each of said lips is arranged in the depressed and narrowed region of the rail.

6. A side rail for a sofa seat section of a sofa-bed frame, said rail being generally straight and having an angular cross section comprising a vertical arm and a horizontal arm, said horizontal arm being disposed above said vertical arm when the frame is in fully closed position, said horizontal arm having an offset region intermediate its ends and normal regions on each side thereof, and said horizontal arm having means for anchoring a bed spring, said means being arranged only along the normal regions of said rail, and a lip formed by the. downwardly bent edge of said horizontal arm, said lip being located in said offset region and being parallel to said vertical arm.

7. The rail of claim 6 wherein said horizontal arm is narrowed an amount equal to the width of said downwardly bent lip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 532,741 Ryan Jan. 15, 1895 2,595,038 Waller Apr. 29, 1952 2,676,335 Goodman Apr. 27, 1954 2,785,415 Petersen Mar. 19, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,859 I Great Britain of 1899 

